Explorer

Since there has been some TB chatter lately, I figured it was about time I finished this list and post it. I had originally intended this to be an Appendix in TB but I think I got sidetracked with working on errata and getting the print version done.

Note that this list paints very broad strokes. It's not meant to be a highly descriptive of every minute detail and rule that we changed or tweaked.

But for those that want to dig deeper into TB, or merely want a quick overview of what TB is all about, this list should be of some use.

But that's a good point about encumbrance in general. We didn't really do much with it because in our game, we don't really do much with it.

I don't mean this to sound snarky but with the overall philosophy of Traiblazer, encumbrance should not really be a high priority for your game. Enforce when players start to abuse it or when it really matters to the game.

Villager

But that's a good point about encumbrance in general. We didn't really do much with it because in our game, we don't really do much with it.

I don't mean this to sound snarky but with the overall philosophy of Traiblazer, encumbrance should not really be a high priority for your game. Enforce when players start to abuse it or when it really matters to the game.

Villager

But that's a good point about encumbrance in general. We didn't really do much with it because in our game, we don't really do much with it.

I don't mean this to sound snarky but with the overall philosophy of Traiblazer, encumbrance should not really be a high priority for your game. Enforce when players start to abuse it or when it really matters to the game.

For me, the thing about weapon weights is not about encumbrance. It is about knowledge and trust in the game designer. If they do not bother to learn about the weapons in their game, what else did they not bother to learn about? If they don't realize that a twenty pound greatsword is frankly too heavy and has never existed, does that mean they glossed over other things too?

Now, I will have to confess that the game I helped write does have unreasonable weapon weights for melee weapons. The only reason for this is that the publisher wanted it to be OGL compatible. If it were not for that I would have changed them.

Explorer

For me, the thing about weapon weights is not about encumbrance. It is about knowledge and trust in the game designer. If they do not bother to learn about the weapons in their game, what else did they not bother to learn about? If they don't realize that a twenty pound greatsword is frankly too heavy and has never existed, does that mean they glossed over other things too?

Hit points are described as an abstract measurement, whereas weapon weights are described as the actual weight of the weapon. So the designers did not think of them as the same or they would have described the weights as an abstract as well.

But, sadly, they are not described as an approximation of heft, mass, and awkwardness. If they had been, and been given a name like "bulk points" or something similar, that would be different. Their numbers are arbitrary, but I think it is out of cluelessness more then anything.

I am not what you would call a "simulationist" by any stretch of the imagination. Ask anyone who has played with me, they will tell you. I have, however, written quite a few papers on the subject of the changes in melee weapons over the centuries. So, as you can imagine, this is one of my pet peeves about RPGs in general.

Explorer

I'm close to passing off about 80% of the book to Wulf to start layout (I'm putting the final tweaks on a couple of sections). I just moved so the past couple of weeks have been nuts for me but I'm getting back on track now.

After that, I'll be working on some monster advancement stuff, creating the patronage monsters, and some custom stuff. The last step will of course be final editing.

Villager

I don't have it in front of me, it might have been in a FAQ for that matter or at a GenCon question answer session. But the designers have in the past stated precisely that they gave the numbers they did to simulate cumbersomeness as well as actual weight.